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Perfect and healthy vitamin hot chocolate

I love this product and especially as its not a heavy hot chocolate drink as many can be. In fact its incredibly light and yet creamy enough to feel you are indulging yet its perfectly healthy and full of vitamins also. This dirk can be enjoyed at anytime of the day but I especially enjoy it at night before bed. It has a slight wheaty taste and hence my young daughter does not particularly like this as a hot chocolate drink so bare this in mind especially if you are buying it for children but for adults its perfect. Its a very filling drink so be sure not to have oit before a meal however will make you sleep well as sustains hunger throughout the night if you suffer with this or have eaten little throughout the day. Good light packaging and I find this lasts a while also so is a good and cheap cupboard storer.

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Worth it for a light choice, but not totally filling

PACKAGING - simple, with adequate amounts of nutrition on it. I enjoyed the fact that all ingredients are listed, as well as some manufacturing details. It was a solid piece of packaging which wasn't too difficult to open, or too flimsy.

MIXABILITY - the drink mixed well; much more easily than the competitors in the market, and did not require any "squishing" or squashing of globules of powder. Minimal stirring was required even though i used the exact amount of 200ml of hot water.

TEXTURE - this was where i was dissatisfied: the drink was quite runny and thin; it seems the amount of milk powder might be increased to make a thicker drink. Although it IS a light drink, i find the competitors make a creamier one even with a lower amount of calories.

TASTE - that said, the taste was EXTRAORDINARY; not cloyingly sweet like others, or overly chocolate-y. The balance of chocolate was achieved through the Malt flavour; what i mean is that the left-over taste in the mouth was of malt, and not of chocolate. The chocolate made the malt more "palatable" and enhancing the immediate enjoyment of the drink.

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A good nutritional drink for chocolate lovers

A while ago I received a free sachet of this Ovaltine CHocolate Light in the post, but at the time, with a new baby on the scene, sitting down for a warming drink was the last thing on my mind. However, with more of routine formed now, it is getting slightly easier to grab myself a warm drink when I want something comforting and filling. When reaching in the cupboard the other day, I came across this sachet, which I had completely forgotten about, and so I thought I would sit down last night and try it out.

THis sachet is equivalent to a 20g serving, which contains a mere 76 calories, which is pretty good in comparison to other malted or chocolate drinks. THe sugar content however is high at 10.5g which should be considered.

I wouldn't exactly call this drink the cheapest on the market either, as as 300g jar of this Ovaltine Chocolate Light can cost just between £2 and £3.

I would have drunk Ovaltine Original when I was pregnant, partly for all the nutritional contents, but I also received quite a few sachets of the drink in pregnancy packs. Ovaltine, including this chocolate version, offers you 11 essential vitamins and 4 key minerals, as well as a combination of malt, milk and cocoa. It offers a filling drink which is nutritionally good for you.

The best thing about this Ovatline Chocolate is in face the chocolate. You get the best of both worlds - a warm nutritional drink but at the same time a chocolate version, hopefully satisfying those chocolate urges as well. It is not as chocolatey as a hot chocolate drink, but there is enough chocolate in it, to offer chocolate lovers what they want.

Making this drink is very easy, as you simply add water to the powder and stir and voila! You have got yourself, a warm, nutritional drink, that tastes good with the added chocolate element, and doesn't make you feel too guilty either!

All in all, this is a great drink, and for those that like malt and chocolate drinks this will be right up your alley. I am not sure that I would buy a jar at full price, but I would certainly pick one up when I see it on offer. A good drink from Ovatline

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A great bedtime drink

Now that the nights are drawing in and the weather has turned decidedly autumnal, I've reinstated my bedtime drink ritual. There's absolutely nothing better than sipping a warming, chocolatey drink before snuggling down in bed for the night.

The problem, however, is that chocolate or malt drinks made with milk include a fair amount of fat and a large amount of sugar, which all adds up to a stonking number of extra calories, so I tend to go for the diet option and after much trial and error, I've found my perfect bedtime drink in Ovaltine Chocolate Light.

Price and availability:

I bought my jar from Sainsburys for £1.89 but this product is widely available and is on sale at just about every supermarket for roughly the same price or maybe even less.

My opinion:

Sadly, the word 'diet' or 'light' tagged onto any product generally results in a less than satisfactory experience either in terms of consistency or taste, simply because, in most cases, it's the ingredients being substituted which give the higher satisfaction rating. With regard to drinks, 'diet' and 'light' tend to mean it has water rather than milk added to the powder, again resulting in a less than satisfactory beverage but in my opinion, that isn't the case with Chocolate Ovaltine Light. This drink ticks all the boxes despite having approximately 30% less fat than other chocolate malt drinks.

I won't list all the ingredients but would point out that this products contains added minerals, including calcium, zinc and iron, which account for approximately a quarter of an adult's recommended daily allowance. There are also added vitamins B1, B2, B6 and B12, plus vitamins A, E and C, as well as folic acid.

Each average serving (4 teaspoons) contains 76 kcals. Those with allergies should be aware that this product contains milk, barley gluten and egg.

Each brown plastic jar contains 300 g of powder, which equates to fifteen servings and the jar is recyclable, although the lid and plastic sleeve are not. I actually recycle the lids because they're the perfect size for using as drip trays under small plant pots.

The product label has changed slightly from the picture shown above and is now brown, yellow and blue, rather than the more traditional Ovaltine colours.

On opening the jar, the aroma isn't of chocolate or of malt but, for some weird reason, more like oranges and in fact reminds me of the smell of a Terry's Chocolate Orange.

This drink is much easier to make than it's higher calorie milky equivalent and involves less washing up, too. All that's required is to boil a kettle, spoon four teaspoons of the powder into a mug and pour on the boiling water. Stir well and the job's done.

In the course of my search for the perfect low calorie bedtime drink, I sampled several products, including the light versions of Cadbury's Drinking Chocolate and also Ovaltine Original which is just malt and no chocolate. I found that the consistency of both those drinks was very watery and almost verging on the unpleasant. However, Ovaltine Chocolate Light produces a deliciously thick and creamy drink and it's hard to believe that it has been made with water rather than milk.

I have been known to eat the odd little bit of this powder straight from the jar whilst waiting for the kettle to boil and have noticed that there is a distinct saltiness to the flavour. However, once mixed with the water, this saltiness isn't at all evident but simply enhances the flavours of the chocolate and malt.

I do find that I have to add rather more powder than the quantity Ovaltine recommends. They advise using four teaspoons per 200ml of water and by which I assume they mean level teaspoons. However, that is only enough for a large cup or small mug and as most mugs these days are larger than that, I generally use heaped teaspoons instead (and an extra one if I'm feeling particularly indulgent).

Although Ovaltine claim this can be drunk at any time of the day, I think I'd probably nod off if I drank it any other time than last thing at night. This is a tasty, warming and comforting drink which rounds the day off perfectly. It may be just my imagination but I really do feel that I sleep better after enjoying a mug of chocolate Ovaltine before bed.

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Good hot choc drink that is nutritional, too

Ovaltine is a traditional drink that combines malt and eggs, amongst other things, to provide nutrition at the same time as taste and flavour. Adding chocolate to it gives a kind of quirky chocolate taste, very much like hot chocolate but with a different aftertaste. Maybe it's the eggs.

Light Ovaltine Chocolate has a nice blend of barley malt and cocoa, which has been carefully formulated to become what many people see as the ultimate in bedtime drinks. Its nutritional qualities speak for themselves, with its vitamins and minerals providing around 20% of your RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance).

The plastic jar of Ovaltine is dumpy, so that it's almost a tub. Four heaped teaspoons into a mug with added hot water is all that is necessary to make this into a lovely hot chocolate drink. The smell hits you instantly as you combine the fine powder with the water, and the barley malt is actually a lot stronger than the chocolate, breaking through and adding an almost sweeter smell to the drink.

The taste is similar to the smell, with the chocolate seemingly taking a back seat. However, the aftertaste is all chocolate, and quite rich with it. I find that this rich flavour means that one mug is quite enough, and having too much of it in one go can end up being quite sickly. I have to admit, it's not my favourite hot chocolate drink, but then it was originally formulated as a health drink, and not necessarily as something particularly flavoursome. This came later.

Ultimately, it is a good drink, just not my favourite. The nutritional qualities are there, with a plethora of vitamins provided for, as well as calcium, iron and zinc, and one mug gives you 74 calories. Its 'light' factor means that the sugar content is reduced, and the cals are theoretically kept lower, although there are hot choc drinks with less calories out there.

This Light Ovaltine Chocolate is available in many places. I got my 300g tub/jar for just under the £2 mark a while back, and you can get 15 serving sout of it. I recommend giving it a go, although too much is a bit sickly.

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Ovaltine Chocolate Light

When I was a child I remember my grandparents and greatgrandmother drinking Ovaltine, so I have fond memories of it. The smell and taste is very comforting and sleep inducing. As an adult, I drank it occasionally, but not that often, until I discovered Light Ovaltine Chocolate Flavour. The packaging design of the jar I bought is slightly different to the one shown above, but the jar is exactly the same shape.

When I was in Tesco's recently, I looked in the hot drinks section for a chocolate based drink to buy and came across Ovaltine Light Chocolate. I had bought it a couple of years ago and liked it, so decided to get some more. It cost £1.86 for a plastic jar containing 300g, enough for 15 servings.

To make the drink, you put four heaped teaspoons of Ovaltine Light into a cup and add 200ml of hot water and stir. It is classed as a low fat product, and one serving contains 74 calories, 1.2g of fat and14.2g of carbohydrates (1.5g of which sugars). The fat content per 100g is 5.9g, with 5.2g of saturates. It contains sugar, fat reduced cocoa powder and sweeteners, as well as whey powder and barley malt extract. For those with allergies, it contains milk, barley gluten and egg. It would not be suitable for vegans due to the egg.

One of the good things about Ovaltine products is that they contain essential vitamins and minerals - fourteen in fact, from Vitamin A through to Zinc. This is good for people who are not eating well, have a small appetite or are recovering from illness, and may be deficient in some vitamins and minerals, as they can get some of their nutrients from a cup of Ovaltine. A 200ml cupful provides around a fifth of the recommended daily allowance of the vitamins and minerals that are listed.

I usually have a cup of Ovaltine Light Chocolate in the evening, and I think that it has a really delicious chocolatey flavour, as well as having the added benefits of the vitamins and minerals. I shall be buying this again in the future.

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Chocolate based malt drink

I have fond memories of drinking Ovaltine as a child, particularly at Christmas (I even like it on it's own straight from the jar!). I can remember having a hot cup of Ovaltine on Christmas Eve and looking back it was probably a plan by my parents to get my sister and me to go to sleep early so the presents were under the tree in the morning. . . I never did hear Father Christmas on the roof of our house!! I blame it on the Ovaltine for making me sleepy!!

So a few weeks ago I bought Ovaltine Chocolate, as I fancied a nice milky drink, and any drink with chocolate in it is a bonus! Previously known as Ovaltine Light, Ovaltine Chocolate Light is an instant chocolaty drink from the Ovaltine range that contains at least 20% of the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) of 11 vitamins and 3 minerals, as well as being a good source of calcium.

What is it?Ovaltine Chocolate Light is made with the wholesome goodness of barely, malt and cocoa. Ovaltine's unique recipe contains essential vitamins and minerals that provide a good source of nutrients to complement a healthy balanced diet. For anyone out there who finds it difficult to eat 5-a-Day, this drink is great to ensure that you are getting all of you vitamins and minerals.

A 20g servicing (4 teaspoons) made with 200ml of water contains 302 kj, 72 calories, 1.2g of fat and 11.3g of sugar.

What goodness does it contain?Ovaltine Chocolate Light contains around 20% of your Recommended Daily Amount of the following Vitamins and Minerals:

PackagingOvaltine Chocolate Light comes in a 300g plastic jar (which is recyclable) and costs £1.68. The top is a brown screw top tip lid and the jar itself is Orange in colour, the bottom half is Brown with Ovaltine written in large Blue writing across the jar. Each 300g jar contains enough for 15 servings and Ovaltine Chocolate Light is also available in a 20g sachet which is ideal to take to work as an alternative to Tea or Coffee.

DirectionsPut 4 teaspoons into a cup and simply add 200ml of hot (not boiling) water and stir. I prefer to heap the teaspoons and if I am using a mug to only fill it half full of water. This makes the Ovaltine more chocolaty and richer. It is quite sweet and even through I have two sugars in my tea, I don't feel the need to add any sugar to this.

It still retains that unmistakable barely and malt flavour that we all loved with Ovaltine original and has an added smooth chocolate taste. As it is 'Light' and made with water you don't get that really full feeling after drinking it and it doesn't make you feel sleepy and want to got to bed!!

In my opinion, I now prefer Ovaltine Light to the original drink where you add milk, as I find that this can be too heavy. It makes a great change from Tea of Coffee and can be drunk at any time of the day. It is packed full of vitamins and minerals which we all need and has a lovely smooth chocolate taste. I would definitely recommend this to anyone as it makes an ideal drink for all the family.

Other informationOvaltine is a great course of vitamins and minerals for those who are pregnant. Did you know that compared to plain milk, Ovaltine contains nearly twice as much Calcium, five times more Folic Acid and Zinc and 25 times more Iron, based on a 25g service on Ovaltine Original made with 200ml of semi-skimmed milk.

For further information go to www.ovaltineuk.com Consumer Helpline: 0845 6009944

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A chocolate and malt barley extract drink

Once upon a time, there lived a terribly clever Swiss scientist called Dr George Wander. Dr Wander was a chemist who spent his days investigating the nutritional qualities of barley malt; perhaps not the most exciting of activities, but I guess thrilling entertainment must have been a bit thin on the ground in 1904. As it happened though, this rather dull pursuit was to lead to a useful discovery. You see, on one particular day, the chemist suddenly realised the dietary potential of the complex carbohydrates and vitamins in barley malt. When the clever chap combined the malt with eggs, he invented the Worlds first nutritional drink, which he named Ovomaltine. Despite the unpromising (and quite frankly unappetising) name of this product, Ovomaltine quickly became a success story in Switzerland, where it was marketed as a milk fortifier to provide easily prepared and sustaining hot drinks for under-nourished children, pregnant women, the elderly and infirm. In fact, it even began to be prescribed by doctors once the nutritional value of this drink was realised. Dr Wander became something of a champion of the nutritionally challenged.

It wasnt until 1906 that this drink first arrived in Britain under the more familiar brand name of Ovaltine. This was something I found rather surprising, as we tend to think of Ovaltine as being a peculiarly British eccentricity rather than an imported product. Indeed, so ingrained has Ovaltine become in our national consciousness, that websites such as www.britishcornershop.co.uk and www.britstore.co.uk have been set up to sell it and other such products to the British ex-pat community worldwide. In fact, I even suspect that right now, readers of a Certain Age will be finding themselves humming the theme tune to the Ovaltineys^!

Ovaltine continued to be consumed as a virtuous and nutritional beverage for many years. Back in 1997, however, Ovaltine was renamed Original Ovaltine as the range was expanded to include Ovaltine Power, a drink that mixed hot chocolate and Ovaltine to form a new kind of beverage. Although a fan of the original drink, I was quickly converted to the chocolate version and bought it on a regular basis until it underwent something of a metamorphosis a few months back. This re-branding was evidently an attempt to cash in on the rapidly growing health food market, as Original Ovaltine Light (a reduced fat version of Ovaltine that you make with water rather than milk) came out, and Ovaltine Power became Ovaltine Chocolate Light (although as far as I can tell, they are the exact same drink). There is also a new range called Max for Milk, which are milk shake powders that contain the malt barley extract and vitamins of Ovaltine, but I am yet to sample them.

Ovaltine Chocolate Light is a blend of reduced fat cocoa and the barley malt extract of Original Ovaltine that you mix with hot water in much the same way as you would with any other hot chocolate powder. According to their website, it is made with all the nutritious goodness of malt and barley extract, and 15 vitamins and minerals, Ovaltine Chocolate Light is a low fat hot chocolate drink that not only tastes good, it's good for you!. Now being a cynical type, I always like to investigate such claims. To start off with, there is no doubt that you are getting a good portion of vitamins and minerals in a mug of this stuff; a typical 20g serving will give you at least 20% of an adults recommended daily amount (RDA) of vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, B12, C and E as well as niacin, biotin, pantothentic acid and folic acid. In that same mug, you also get 20% RDA iron and zinc, 13% RDA magnesium and 35% RDA calcium. It is also light on the calories at just 72 per mug. However, the low fat part is a harder claim to substantiate, as it is one of those phrases that doesnt seem to have a single accepted definition. If you accept the definition that low fat means below 5% fat, then no it isnt (it has 6% fat). If you accept the definition that low fat means less that 3g per serving, then yes it is (a mug has 1.2g). Either way, its not too awful though, is it? And if you take into account that Ovaltine Chocolate Light has less sugar than regular hot chocolate and is very low in caffeine, then I think I can happily accept this as something of a Holy Grail  a chocolate flavoured product that is actually good for you!

But what does it actually taste like? Well, if you make it the way Ovaltine suggest  four heaped teaspoonfuls in a mug and with hot water  then the answer is that it tastes of very little. If, however, you make it like a mug of tea and replace some of that hot water with milk, then you get a rather different effect. Ovaltine Chocolate Light made this way produces a creamy and satisfying drink that smells of Malteasers, and indeed tastes a good deal like them, too. (Those of you who have been unfortunate enough to try the Malteasers hot chocolate drink will find the Ovaltine version a smoother and less sweet drink, though). The primary taste is of the malt, but those of you after a chocolate hit will not be disappointed as the flavour is subtle but smooth  surprisingly so for a reduced fat drink  that reminds me of Cadburys Chocolate Break. The warm milkiness makes it perfect as a bedtime drink to wind down with at the end of the day  it is hard not to relax when youre drinking it, I find. There are of course other chocolate & malt hot drinks out there as it is a very popular flavour combination (Horlicks do one and Cadburys make Bournvita), but this is certainly my favourite.

Highly recommended. Especially on winter evenings!

**And a final thought to leave you with  The Ovaltine Christmas Carol**Uncle Bill and Aunty MabelFainted at the breakfast table.Let this be an awful warningFor those who do it in the morning.

But Ovaltine has set them rightNow they do it every night.Hark the Herald Angels SingOvaltine's a damn good thing.

**Product Information and Other Boring But Necessary Stuff**Ovaltine Chocolate Light is available in one size, a 300g tub that provides 15 servings. My tub cost a mere £1.98 from Tesco, but it is also available from all major supermarkets as well as the aforementioned online retailers who will ship it worldwide.

www.ovaltine.co.uk

^The Ovaltineys was a family radio show first broadcast in 1935, which was sponsored by Ovaltine. It developed into a club for child fans of the drink that had 5 million members at its peak. If you fancy a nostalgia trip, you can download the Ovaltiney signature tune at: www.ovaltine.co.uk/en/article.asp?chco_id=25.